Electric utility companies can use large groups of individual battery cells to store and provide electrical energy within power generation and distribution grids. The battery cells are installed and managed inside a battery station. The power companies use the battery station's electrical storage capacity to stabilize and regulate their power grids, such as by allowing energy generated at one point in time to be used during another. Intelligent management of this storage capacity can help realize a “smart grid” by creating more efficient, flexible, and secure power networks. Possible environmental benefits of smart grids include conservation of energy, as well as improvements in the ability to use cleaner energy alternatives.
In addition to battery cells, battery stations have other subassemblies and components installed inside them in order to deliver complete energy management systems to electric utility companies. These subassemblies and components include communication devices, electronic sensor modules, electronic control modules, electrical charging modules, electrical interface connectors, electric fuses, bus bars, inverters, electrical wiring harnesses, and thermal management means.